October in Iowa – you can have a foot of snow on the ground or it can be 75 degrees and sunny! Ashley and Austin could not have asked for a more perfect day, warm weather, clear skies, and the perfect time of year to get beautiful fall colors all over their venue. With everything happening this year plans were changing back and forth quite a bit for this day. The fact that a football game was happening across the street during their ceremony was an unexpected last minute detail. However, like everything else on that day, it went perfectly and was not an issue! There was a funny moment during the ceremony where the sirens went off for a touchdown and everyone had a good laugh but otherwise there were no interruptions :). It was a perfect day full of mask wearing, distancing as much as possible, and although it was a smaller group of people than initially planned – the love and joy surrounding Ashley and Austin was incredible to witness. I would also like to give a huge shoutout to the folks at the Iowa State Alumni Center for their attention to detail, superb planning, and commitment to keeping everyone safe.
There are two parts of the day I need to call out as they were so cool and memorable! First, for their unity ceremony Ashley and Austin decided to do a really cool idea I had never heard of before. They did a hand-casting ceremony where they created a mold of their hands holding one another. They prepped the mold during the rehearsal dinner and then poured the casting before the ceremony. During the unity part of the ceremony they went over to a table and tore away the resin to reveal the mold of their hands. It was a really special and unique idea and they now have such a meaningful item to have in their home to remind them of this day.
Another big moment during the day came from the reception. When the father of the bride came up for the first dance it was immediately apparent that he had some sort of surprise up his sleeve. I had chills and could already feel the tears welling up in my eyes before I even knew what special moment he had planned for his daughter. He said that for a very long time he knew he would dance with his daughter to Butterfly Kisses as it had a very special meaning to both of them. However, he then said that instead of just dancing to that song he instead wanted to also sing it to her. Her father acknowledged he never would have been able to perform it live without many tears ruining the song, so (before COVID) he went to a recording studio and recorded this special song for his daughter. Y’all, the bride and her father then danced to Butterfly Kisses recorded by her father. That moment was so incredibly special and the amount of pride and love he has for the woman his daughter has become was so blindingly obvious during that dance.
My sincerest congratulations to you both, Ashley and Austin. Thank you for letting me have such an important role in such a special day in your lives.
